Friends of the Moshassuck: Barney Pond, Saylesville
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00 0.15 .3 TWIN RIVER LOUISQUISSET PIKE ROAD LINCOLN WOODS ROAD EDDIE D EDDIE 0.6 OW Mi L les ING FRIENDS OF THE MOSHASSUCK: H I G H Twin River W BARNEY POND, SAYLESVILLE A Casino Y Lincoln LEVEL Beginner Woods 123 146 5 START/END Fishing area 0 MILES GREAT ROAD 246 4 D RIVER MILES A Pond is ½ mile long O R S TIME Varies K R WO T DESCRIPTION Flat Water IN PR R TE SCENERY Wooded ES CH N M A 0.125 BARNEY POND FRONT STREET Barney Pond is on the Moshassuck River in Providence County, GREAT ROAD GREAT Rhode Island. It was created by the construction of a dam in 3 Olney 1885, and at the dam it appears there was once a mill. The 20 ft 4 Thread Mill Brook RIVER ROAD 2 Pond high dam is owned by the Town Of Lincoln, and creates a pond 0.25 of approximately 25 acres, stretching from the corner of Rt. 126 (Smithfield Avenue) and Grandview Ave northwest about ½ mile 126 until the river/pond reaches the Manchester Print Works Road at the main entrance to Lincoln Woods State Park. If going Thread north along Smithfield Ave, the road crosses over the river with Mill Brook the dam visible on the left, followed almost immediately on 0.375 1 3 SMITHFIELD AVENUE the west side of the road by the parking lot for the state fishing area. A canoe or kayak can be put in at the fishing area 1 , but Barney care should be taken to stay well away from the dam u2 . It is Pond GRANDVIEW AVE approximately ½ mile from the fishing area to the covered bridge in the park, at which point the pond ends and the river course is 1 0.5 2 too steep, rocky, and small for boating. The pond has abundant wildlife and many fish, and is wooded along its entire course. Part way along the course, Threadmill123 Brook l3 , the stream draining Olney Pond in the heart of the park, enters the river/ CHAPEL STREET pond. The northern terminus of the pond l4 is right next to the covered bridge in the park l5 , and while it is possible to exit a Bleachery Pond Bleachery boat at that point, there is no developed put-in site, and accessing the waters there is likely to cause serious erosion and other harm, and is therefore not recommended. 1 126 ◆ MAP LEGEND 1A WATER ACCESS l POINTS OF INTEREST n P PARKING n W ATER ROADS u CAUTION 1 n CONSERVATION LAND POST ROAD Ninigret Park Ninigret Pond MOSHASSUCK In 1997, Friends of the Moshassuck was founded because the little river flowing into downtown Providence from the north really needed some friends. In March 2006, Friends of the Moshassuck was designated the official Watershed Council for the Moshassuck and its tributary, the West River, by the Rhode Island Rivers Council. THE MOSHASSUCK RIVER The Moshassuck is a tiny watershed, only 23 square miles The factories, transportation and housing along the river all extending from the Limerock section of Lincoln RI about 10 miles used the Moshassuck to dispose of industrial and human waste. to where it meets with the Woonasquatucket River in the tidewater So much in fact, the Providence cholera epidemics in 1833, 1849, of downtown Providence and forms the Providence River. and 1854 were blamed on contamination of the Moshassuck River. The Narragansett Indians gave the river its name, These days the river is much cleaner than in the heyday of Mooshausick, meaning the river where moose watered. In 1636 polllution, though it still has a long way to go. The surrounding Roger Williams, European founder of Rhode Island, settled on watershed also cries out for the restoration of the ecosystems that the East bank of the river and learned its name from the support the community. The upper part of the watershed is Narragansetts. The Moshassuck is joined by its major tributary, primarily forested and suburban. The lower part is completelly the West River, about a mile from the center of Providence. urbanized and a greater percentage of the Moshassuck Watershed The headwaters are only ten miles away in Lincoln. Between the is paved than any other in the state. two cities, the river has five ponds, a reservoir, and 11 dams. Due to its small size and quick rise and fall, the Moshassuck The dams and ponds are the river’s industrial heritage. is not renowned as a paddling river. Access is limited, it is full of As early as 1646 the first grist mill was set up on the Moshassuck rocks and trash, and long stretches of the river are underground. near Smith street in Providence. During the 1700’s the river saw tanneries, slaughter houses, coopers, a paper mill, and a chocolate DIRECTIONS factory along its banks. In 1828 five years of constuction on the From Rt. 146 North or South, exit on Rt. 123 E Breakneck Road/ lower Moshassuck completed the Blackstone Canal. The canal Great Road. Just past the entrance to Lincoln woods, take a right thrived for 20 years and served the communities between on Rt. 126 (Great Road/Smithfield Avenue). Access to Barney Worcester and Providence. On November 9th, 1848 the canal Pond is on the right. received its last paying freight. The railroads had arrived and made the canal obsolete. High granite walls along the river between Charles Street and Citizen’s Plaza are the only remains of the canal visible today on the lower Moshassuck. AL WAYS WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKET AND CARRY A WHISTLE OR OTHER SOUND PRODUCING DEVICE, PREFERABLY ATTACHED TO YOUR LIFE JACKET. PADDLERS SHOULD CHECK WATER LEVEL AND TIDES, WEATHER, AND WATERWAY CONDITIONS PRIOR TO EVERY TRIP. REMOVE WHAT YOU BRING, CLEAN UP MORE IF YOU CAN. PLEASE RESPECT PRIVATE PROPERTY. REPORT ANY PROBLEMS YOU ENCOUNTER TO FRIENDS OF THE MOSHASSUCK AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES IF APPROPRIATE. Friends of the Moshassuck has a vision of a greenway linking the sights we have found to restore with those already protected sights in the Watershed organizations throughout Moshassuck watershed. Friends of the Moshassuck, in addition to restoring sites along the river, has a focus on the ecology/economy interface — the Narragansett Bay watershed in other words a great interest in how restoring the health of ecosystems can help communities achive prosperity. www.themoshassuck.org showcase paddling opportunities on downloadable The Narragansett Bay Estuary Program (NBEP) protects and preserves Narragansett Bay and its watershed through paddle maps. partnerships that conserve and restore natural resources, enhance water quality and promote community involvement. The full list of NBEP supports the RI Blueways Alliance which is dedicated to creating a comprehensive water trail network to link Rhode Island’s rivers, lakes and ponds to Narragansett Bay and to the rivers in Massachsuetts that flow into the bay. maps is available The trail will be used to promote safety, conservation, recreation and economic development. www.ExploreRI.org at ExploreRI.org..